1787 United States 1/2 penny Value

A 1787 United States 1/2 penny is worth roughly its melt value to well into four figures depending on its condition. Certified examples in top grades can run far higher.

Public domain image (struck or printed before 1926). Click to enlarge.

1787 United States 1/2 penny value by grade

1787 United States 1/2 penny value by grade
GradeEstimated value

Estimated retail range. Estimates are modeled from mintage rarity and metal content, not auction records. Actual sale prices vary with certification, eye appeal and market timing.

What is a 1787 United States 1/2 penny worth right now?

Pricing for the 1787 United States 1/2 penny depends on grade and current collector demand.

1787 United States 1/2 penny specifications

Series
United States Coinage
Year
1787
Mint mark
None (Philadelphia)
Mintage
Not recorded
Composition
Copper
Weight
7.35 g
Diameter
28 mm

Why this coin has no mint mark

The 1787 United States 1/2 penny was struck at the Philadelphia Mint, which used no mint mark in this era. If you find no letter where branch-mint coins carry one (check the usual position for this series), you are holding a Philadelphia issue.

What collectors pay for in a 1787 United States 1/2 penny

Documented examples of the 1787 United States 1/2 penny in our reference database anchor what we know about this issue. Mintage records are incomplete, so collector demand and surviving population drive its market.

Few series carry the following that supports the 1787 United States 1/2 penny. Documented United States coin types preserved in museum collections, with measured specifications for each date, denomination and mint. A coin that thousands of collectors are actively assembling into sets never lacks for a market.

1787 United States 1/2 penny inscriptions & design

Obverse

GEORGIVS III REX

bust laurel. cuir. r.

Reverse

BRITANNIA

Britannia std. l.

Measured 1787 United States 1/2 penny specimens

10 physically measured 1787 United States 1/2 penny examples in our reference database. Real measured weights and die axes let you authenticate a coin against the 7.35 g, 28 mm minting standard.

Measured 1787 United States 1/2 penny specimens
SpecimenWeightDiameterDie axisReferences
1787 United States 1/2 penny #17.49 g28 mm-Seaby.3774, Breen.996
1787 United States 1/2 penny #26.63 g28 mm-Seaby.3774, Breen.996
1787 United States 1/2 penny #37.23 g28 mm-Seaby.3774, Breen.995
1787 United States 1/2 penny #47.24 g28 mm-Seaby.3774, Breen.995
1787 United States 1/2 penny #57.71 g28 mm-Seaby.3774, Breen.995
1787 United States 1/2 penny #67.35 g28 mm-Seaby.3774, Breen.996
1787 United States 1/2 penny #77.47 g28 mm-Seaby.3774, Breen.995
1787 United States 1/2 penny #87.59 g28 mm-Seaby.3774, Vlack.18-87.C, Breen.995
1787 United States 1/2 penny #98.13 g28 mm-Seaby.3774, Breen.996
1787 United States 1/2 penny #106.363 g27 mm6 hVlack.20-87C

Specifications compiled from documented museum specimens. See our data & methodology page.